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A dog park nonprofit seeks to raise funds this spring with installed art

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April 4, 2013

By: Mike Munzenrider

Mike Munzenrider

Dog Grounds, the nonprofit organization that built and manages three downtown dog parks, is raising funds this spring by offering donors their choice of installed dog art.

For $500, donors can choose from more than 300 steel dog silhouettes of different breeds that will be installed on the fences at the Gateway Park Dog Grounds or the North Loop Dog Grounds. Donors can also choose to include an engraved plaque with a message of their choice, along with the 32-36-inch tall silhouette.

Dan Quirk, who lives near the Gateway Dog Grounds, approached the non-profit after it replaced an existing fence at the grounds with a chain link fence.

“I saw the chain link fence and it looked a little gritty, so I wondered if there was a way to make it more attractive,” Quirk said.

Turning to the Internet, Quirk found his solution, the dog silhouettes. He also thought it would be a good fundraiser for the non-profit and Dog Grounds approved, putting him in charge of the project.

Quirk said that seven dog silhouettes were installed at the Gateway Dog Grounds last fall and that two more are in the works. For cost-effectiveness, he said that he would wait for two or three more orders before having the silhouettes created, shipped and installed.

Quirk said he’s now more involved with Dog Grounds than he would have expected.

“I’m now on the dog board even though I don’t own a dog,” he said.

There are three Dog Grounds in downtown, in Gateway Park, the North Loop and Loring Park.